Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations

The Supreme Court justices will again hold the fate of the health law in their hands as they hear arguments in the latest legal challenge to the overhaul. News outlets analyze what's at stake in the case -- for policy makers and consumers -- as well as the contingency plans, or lack thereof, if the court rules against the subsidies.

The Wall Street Journal:
As Supreme Court Weighs Subsidies, Health-Law Opponents Face Hurdle
Opponents of the health-care law face a potential challenge Wednesday in persuading the Supreme Court to strike down nationwide insurance subsidies: Doing so could put the law at odds with part of the court’s blockbuster health-care decision three years ago. In 2012, the justices largely upheld the Affordable Care Act but ruled by a 7-2 vote that Congress couldn’t put excessive financial pressure on the states to implement a portion of the law that expanded Medicaid, the federal-state health-insurance program for the poor. That ruling was a consolation prize to conservatives who failed to win a broader decision gutting the health-care law. (Kendall and Bravin, 3/1)

Los Angeles Times:
If Supreme Court Rules Against Obamacare, States Have Few Options
With Supreme Court arguments in the latest challenge to the Affordable Care Act just days away, a sense of impending crisis has hit state officials and patient advocates in many parts of the country. Many worry they have no good options. If the justices rule in favor of the challenge, it would wipe out insurance subsidies for millions of consumers in nearly three dozen states that use the federal HealthCare.gov marketplace established through the health law. (Levey, 3/2)

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Outcome Of Obamacare Subsidy Case Could Have Drastic Consequences For Missouri, Illinois
When the U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments this week on a legal challenge to the federal health care law, affordable health insurance for many Missourians and Illinoisans will hang in the balance. At issue is whether residents in the two states — and about 30 others — qualify for government subsidies to help offset the cost of their insurance. If the court finds that they don’t, about 500,000 residents in both Missouri and Illinois would lose their financial assistance and likely their health coverage. (Shapiro, 3/1)

McClatchy:
The Health Care Case: Fear And Loathing At The Supreme Court
On Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in a case that might deny tax credits next year to Newsome and an estimated 9.3 million people in 34 states that use the federal health insurance marketplace at HealthCare.gov. Roughly two-thirds of them, or 6.3 million, probably would become uninsured in 2016, according to estimates by the Urban Institute, a centrist research center. (Pugh, 2/27)

Politico:
No Easy Fix If Supreme Court Halts Obamacare Cash
The Obama administration says it has no contingency plan for the 7 million to 8 million people who would lose health subsidies if the Supreme Court were to invalidate a key provision of Obamacare. On Wednesday, the high court will hear arguments in King v. Burwell, a case that will determine whether the health law’s premium subsidies are legal in 34 states that did not set up their own insurance exchanges and rely on HealthCare.gov to enroll their residents. If the court decides they’re not, an estimated 7 million to 8 million people would be cut off. (Pradhan and Norman, 3/2)

The Washington Post:
Six Words Might Decide The Fate Of Obamacare At The Supreme Court
When the Supreme Court takes up the latest challenge to President Obama’s health-care law this week, how the justices interpret a six-word phrase in the bill could determine its fate. The law, adopted in 2010, says the federal government can pay subsidies to help people afford insurance bought through “an Exchange established by the state.” (Rein, 3/1)

The Washington Post:
At Least 6 Republican States Revisit Their Stance Of Resisting Obamacare
Officials in several Republican states that balked at participating in President Obama’s ­health-care initiative are now revisiting the issue amid mounting panic over a possible Supreme Court decision that would revoke federal insurance subsidies for millions of Americans. The discussions taking place in state capitals around the country are part of a flurry of planning and lobbying by officials, insurance and hospital executives, and health-care advocates to blunt the possible impact of a court ruling. (Somashekhar, Millman and Sun, 2/27)

The Associated Press:
AP EXPLAINS: Supreme Court Case Against Obama's Health Law
The U.S. Supreme Court this week hears a challenge to President Barack Obama's health care overhaul. If successful, the lawsuit would cripple Obama's prized domestic achievement, a program that has brought the U.S. as close as it has ever come to universal health care. The Affordable Care Act passed Congress in 2010 without a single Republican vote in favor. (3/2)

Modern Healthcare:
Reform Law's Fate Will Hinge On How Justices Interpret A Few Words
After months of nervous speculation, it's finally the U.S. Supreme Court's turn this week to consider the legal case that could solidify or savage President Barack Obama's landmark healthcare reform law. The justices on Wednesday will hear arguments in King v. Burwell, which turns on whether the language of the Affordable Care Act allows Americans in up to 37 states using the federal insurance exchange to receive premium tax credits. The Internal Revenue Service has interpreted the law to allow subsidies in all states. But the four individual plaintiffs challenging the rule say the ACA language is clear and that interpretation is wrong. (Schencker, 2/28)

NBC News:
Obamacare Faces Toughest Test in Supreme Court Challenge
The Supreme Court is preparing to hear a challenge to Barack Obama's signature healthcare policy that could deal it a crippling blow, if not a fatal one. The case comes before the justices on Wednesday, nearly three years after the Supreme Court saved Obamacare during a legal battle at the law's inception. (Williams, 3/2)

This is part of the KHN Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.